wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “amount”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “amount”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 5 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

ELEX Minimum Order Amount for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Minimum Purchase Amount For Woo Cart – For WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #1 2

Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3

Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Free Shipping Bar: Amount Left for Free Shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #4 5

Minimum Order Amount for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #3 2 too high 6

Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #13 ↑2 6 too low 8

Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #9 ↑6 1 too low 9

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11

kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12

Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #16 4 too low 13

WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 8 too high 15

DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #23 ↓7 8 too low 16

FOX – Currency Switcher Professional for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.4★ (250) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓7 1 too high 17

Min Max Quantities – Set Minimum/Maximum Quantity & Price Limits with Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↓4 5 too high 18

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 ↓6 19

UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (256) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 2 too low 20

Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (111) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 21

Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay – Accept Credit Card Payments + Subscriptions with Stripe 8K+ · 4.4★ (117) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22

Shipping Simulator for WooCommerce 6K+ · 5.0★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 2 too low 23

PiWeb Min/Max Quantity & Minimum Order Limits for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

ELEX Minimum Order Amount for WooCommerce 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 13 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.